Posts in the Education Sector Category at DataBreaches.net, Page 2

IL: School District computer system; most data recovered, superintendent says

Posted by Dissent at 11:18 am Education Sector, Hack, Malware, U.S.

Feb 152019

Kennedy Nolen reports:

Foreign hackers targeted the Mount Zion schools computer system in an attack that resulted in 19 days’ worth of grades being wiped out across the district.

Data was not removed from the system, but the hackers encrypted several servers, making them unusable, Superintendent Travis Roundcount said in an emailed response to questions from the Herald & Review about the incident, which was noted on the district’s website as happening Feb. 4.

Read more on Herald & Review and then go review your backup situation/readiness.

‘Hackers’ Charged by U.S. Over Hundreds of Hoax Bomb Threats on Schools

Posted by Dissent at 10:04 am Education Sector

Feb 132019

Dell Cameron reports:

An alleged hacker accused of sending fake bomb threats to hundreds of schools was reportedly arrested Tuesday by FBI agents in North Carolina, while an alleged accomplice, who is currently incarcerated in the U.K., now faces charges in the U.S.

Timothy Dalton Vaughn, 20, is facing an 11-count federal indictment, including charges of making interstate threats involving explosives. He stands charged alongside an alleged cohort in Britain, George Duke-Cohan, a 19-year-old from Hertfordshire who is already behind bars.

Schools Suffered at Least 122 Cybersecurity Incidents Last Year

Posted by Dissent at 1:12 pm Commentaries and Analyses, Education Sector, U.S.

Feb 092019

Benjamin Herrold reports:

The nation’s K-12 schools experienced 122 publicly reported cybersecurity incidents in 2018, more than half of which were caused or carried out by staff or students, and nearly 60 percent resulted in students’ personal data being compromised.

And that’s likely just the tip of the iceberg, according to a report released Thursday by the K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center, which noted that many more such breaches and attacks likely went undetected or unreported.

Laplace Woman Charged with Stealing Federal Student Aid Funds and Identity Theft

Posted by Dissent at 7:13 pm Breach Incidents, Education Sector, ID Theft, Other, U.S.

Feb 052019

From the press release:

United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that KENDRA GRAVES, age 31, was charged on January 31, 2019 in a two-count bill of information with theft of government funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641 and identity theft in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028(a)(7).

According to court documents, GRAVES falsified federal student loan applications and used the stolen student aid monies valued at approximately $200,000 for her own personal use. As part of her scheme to defraud, GRAVES applied for federal financial aid at Delgado Community College in the name of 15 individuals without their knowledge or consent.

If convicted, GRAVES faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of $250,000 as to Count 1 and 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 as to Count 2. GRAVES also faces three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment and a $200 special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Julia K. Evans is in charge of the prosecution.

Email Attachment Goof Exposed Personal Info of 4,557 Cal Poly Pomona Students

Posted by Dissent at 7:11 pm Education Sector, Exposure, U.S.

Feb 052019

Victoria Gonzalez reports:

Human error caused a massive leak of personal information of all active students in the College of Science. On Jan. 29, the campus community was notified via email of the leak.

The incident occurred Jan. 28 when a university employee within the Computer Science Department intended to send an email containing advising information for 940 computer science students.

Inadvertently, the employee also attached an Excel spreadsheet containing personal information of all 4,557 active students in the College of Science.